Best Places39656, MS Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 39656, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
39656 ranks 27,713th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a strong job market by a wide margin, and biking ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 39656
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
39656's strengths and weaknesses
Where 39656 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$529 a month, better than 92% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 92% of zip codes
Where 39656 ranks low
- BikingBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- School gradeD, better than only 9% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 10% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 39656
A household needs to earn about $29,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 39656 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $49,700, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 39656's effective rate of 0.42%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 39656
39656 runs younger than the country, though it still carries a larger-than-average share of residents over 65.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 39656.
Who works in 39656, and how
Work in 39656 centers on transportation & warehousing and construction. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 96%
- Work from home 4%
- Transit, walk, or bike 0%
Life in 39656
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 39656.
What the weather is like in 39656, month by month
39656 sees roughly 94 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 61, with lows near 38. The comfortable stretch runs February through May, October, and November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 61° | 48° | 38° |
| April | 78° | 65° | 54° |
| July | 92° | 80° | 72° |
| October | 81° | 67° | 57° |
Flying in and out of 39656
The nearest airport, Hattiesburg/Laurel Regional, is about 36 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Louis Armstrong New Orleans International, about 103 miles away.
The best schools in and around 39656
Schools across 39656 average a D, better than 9% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Topeka Tilton Attendance CenterC · 31% proficient
- Monticello Elementary SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
- J E Johnson ElementaryD+ · 21% proficient
Top middle schools
- Jefferson Middle SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
- Rod Paige Middle SchoolD+ · 24% proficient
Top high schools
- West Marion High SchoolB− · 43% proficient
- Lawrence County High SchoolD · 20% proficient
- Jdc High SchoolD− · 12% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 39656 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
39656 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 39656 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 39656
Is 39656 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 39656 ranks 27,713th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, tree cover, and a stable housing market, and lowest on biking and state infrastructure. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 39656 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $115,001. The overall cost of living runs about 25% below the national average. Set against a $49,700 median income, cost of living beats 26% of zip codes.
Is 39656 safe?
39656 is safer than 19% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $269 per resident a year.
Compare 39656 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 39656. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 39656 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
39656 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 39656: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 39656: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 39656: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 39656: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
39656 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.